A New York Summer
by what the heehaw
Summary: Usually summer vacation consists of hanging out and trying to forget the past 9 months in school. What if summer could be more than just a break from formal education? Find out what happens when Donatello accidentally gets discovered one hot June night. Will it lead to more identity risks for him and his family, or something more "normal"? Based mostly on the 2014 TMNT movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, my first fanfiction ever. Deep breath. I tried not to make this a long intro because I personally do not read them. Anywho, I feel it is necessary as I have a couple things to clear up. This is TMNT 2014 movieverse. Nothing wrong with the originals but I really like the new storyline- minus Megan Fox as April. She's too perfect at the end of the movie for all the crap she went through. I also highly dislike her breathy voice. She's too Hollywood. She will, however, probably make an appearance in my story, so just imagine her as her pretty self, but more real, like the original April. I hope that makes sense. Also whenever I try to find a good old romantic tmnt story, they all have the sameish storyline. They go something like this; girl is being chased by the Purple Dragons. Girl gets cornered. Girl tries valiantly to protect herself, but to no avail. Just as the horrible is about to happen the turtles rush in to save the day. Girl is not afraid in the least of turtles; instead makes friends with them and develops feelings for one (or all… eww) of them. Girl is immediately taken back to lair because of injuries. She moves in. Basic storyline. That's how most of them go, completely void of any originality. I hope to make mine better, but who knows. Anyway here it is...**

Hot. Never before had the word had so much meaning. 100 plus degrees in a crowded New York City was not the most comfortable experience. Heat waves had been rising from the blacktop all day. The darkness that night brought was hardly any improvement, as the humidity was still unbearable. There was also the fact that the apartments of the Lower East Side didn't allow much breathing room. It was only the first week of June, the youth of Summer Break, how would she- how would anyone survive this heat for the rest of the summer? Exhausted from trying to stay cool all day, she flopped on her bed. She quickly got up again to adjust the setting on the air conditioner unit that took residence on her one of her windowsills. The AC quickly obliged and kicked on with a low hum- just enough to keep out most of the noise from the streets some stories below. She laid back down, on top of her sheets. They probably wouldn't get much use at this rate. Sleep came slow. Her alarm clock glowed a red 11:27. Exasperated, she rolled over facing away from the window. After what seemed like an age, the faint wisps of sleep began to entrap her. Then as suddenly as it had come, sleep stole away into the night. The fire escape rattled loudly outside her window. She was defiantly awake now.

He landed, _almost_ quietly on a fire escape just next to an air conditioner unit. Instinctively his hand reached around to make sure his trusty bo staff was still attached. He had learned from past experiences that a certain stick was hard to find once lost in NYC. Sweat began to drip into his eyes thanks to the fact he no longer had a constant rush of air against him that came with jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He allowed himself to take a break and relax, after all the guys wouldn't be expecting him back from nightly patrol for at least 25 more minutes, plenty of time to rest. The crime level wasn't too high these days, compared to the rise of Shredder a while back. Gosh was it sweltering. Standing still for a few minutes next to an AC unit sounded like a great idea...

Her heart froze for a few moments. The neighbor's cat never made this much noise when it popped in for a visit. She quickly reached under her bed for her old wooden baseball bat, then cautiously snuck over to her window, and peered above the AC unit. The light from a mostly full moon reflected on her face. The AC clicked off allowing her to hear heavy breathing coming from the other side of the window pane. Standing on her tiptoes she could just make out the figure leaned against the wall just left of her AC unit. A gasp escaped from her lips. She had no intention of opening her window, but it seemed she could not help it. What she saw there in the moonlight was quite unique. Olive green skin, large 3 fingered hands, a shell, weird technological gadgets, and what seemed completely out of place on a figure so strange- glasses. She pushed up her own glasses and unlocked the window right of the AC unit. She let a shaky breath and lifted the window, baseball bat still in hand. She didn't lean out of the window too much, she wasn't _that_ stupid. She swallowed, "What the heck _are_ you?" she asked, much louder than she had meant to. "I will use this if I have to. I'll scream if you come any nearer. I wouldn't advise doing anything s-stupid." Her voice cracked, but her hands didn't shake. She thanked heaven for her ability to feign confidence in a situation like this. Regret and fear washed over her. Why had she opened up her window? It could be a gang member on the other side of her window for all she knew, although she had never heard of any gangs dressing _this_strange.

He spun quickly around, knocking over a flower pot or two in the process, silently cursing how un-ninja like he could be sometimes. The thought of someone on the other side of the wall had never crossed his mind. But here was a girl leaning out of the window with a baseball bat pointed at his head threateningly. Somehow he didn't question whether or not she'd use it if necessary. Donatello's mouth went dry. "I, uh..." This was the second time this year he had been in this situation. Why was he _always_getting caught by females when he least expected it.

"Well?" she asked. He still had no words for his current situation. What could he say without making himself sound like an alien or a pervert? He was on her fire escape after all. He studied her scared face while searching for something to say. She wore glasses too, not unlike his own, but in far better condition, and more feminine. Her hair was slightly fuzzy, probably from the humidity. It fell in ginger waves down over her shoulders. Her eyes were wide from shock of having a strange creature visit unexpectedly. He put his hands up in front of him trying his best to look as innocent and harmless as he possibly could.

"Listen, I know this is probably not going to be the best explanation for the situation," He glanced at her bat then. "But I'm not here to hurt or creep on you or anything. I'm, I'm not even supposed to be seen, but we can both see how well that's turned out. Please don't hit me with that." He pointed to her bat. When she didn't object to his talking he continued. "I didn't mean to disturb anyone, it's obviously really hot out here and I was just catching my breath." She looked quizzical, but at least she didn't scream at him through all that.

"Yes, that's all _great_, but what are you?" She repeated her original question, her tone slightly hostile. Wonderful, now he couldn't hear people correctly. He'd have to add that to his list of faults.

"I'm a... a turtle, kinda. Not an alien I swear. He quickly decided that honesty was probably his best bet for getting out of this situation. "I was out on patrol, and I got done early so I decided to take a break, and now I'm here." He watched as the girl timidly reached out her hand and lightly touched his plastron, then quickly retracted it.

"So what, you a cop?" she asked, stepping back. "Something they've been keeping locked up in area 51?"

Ouch. That hurt. "Not exactly, more like a vigilante. We don't work with the police." _It's not so bad talking to her when that bat's not above her head_, He thought.

"Who's we?"

Why was he telling her this!? He didn't know her from Eve, let alone the female population in New York. Donatello pushed up his glasses, "Well, would you believe me if I told you a guy like me could have brothers?" He couldn't believe he was talking to this girl on her fire escape, in the middle of the heat wave of the century no less.

She stared wide eyed when he adjusted his glasses. He _seemed_ like a normal guy, minus his extraordinary appearance. "I'd probably believe anything at this point, except if you told me you don't have a name." Now she was curious, but still very cautious, not anywhere ready to trust him by any means. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of this... _person_ outside her room. Murderers probably _seemed_ normal when they first met someone. He could just be acting humane this one time and then come back later and kill or abduct her. She stepped back from the window a foot. A whole new world was being shown to her after a lifetime of normalcy, why should she trust it right away. The hot wind blew in her face, making her realize partly why this creature stopped for a break.

"Uh, Donatello-Donnie-er, Don, yeah, Don." He stumbled over his various nicknames, trying to think which one sounded the most "normal". He noticed her hesitancy to talk to him now. He couldn't really blame her. "Yours?" Don asked.

She paused, should she tell him this? It couldn't hurt much. "Gale." She said, seemingly without having any problems whatsoever.

A sudden thought struck Don. What if she told someone about their encounter? She wouldn't be able to find him. She had no idea where he lived or where to begin to look. But then there was the whole danger aspect to it, for her, but more so for his family. Donatello was a ninja, supposed to go unseen. Splinter had trained him his whole life to avoid situations like this. He felt like a failure. Why did he have to be so stupid! The memory of what had happened with Shredder not-so-long-ago was still fresh in his memory. "Uh, yeah, if you could do my brothers and me a huge favor and keep mum about my landing on your fire escape. There may or may not be certain terrorist groups looking for us. It's the best for the both of us, trust me."

She shrugged. "Alright, you don't have to worry about me. Maybe I'll wake up and realize this has all been a hallucination from the heat." Gale motioned to the flower pots, as if they would suddenly reconstruct themselves to prove her point.

Don looked down at what seemed to be a holographic projector on his wrist, probably checking the time. He shifted from foot to foot. Regret washed over him for stopping. "Yeah, I should get going now the others are going to wonder where I've gotten off to if I'm not back to meet them in approximately 10 minutes and 38 seconds. SO it has been completely wonderful to meet you, sorry about the flower pots, and-" He shut off his mini projector and prepared to jump off the fire escape. "-I really have to leave!"

"Wait!" Gale came near to shouting for fear he would jump too soon. "If you're ever in this part of the East Side again you can use the fire escape whenever, I guess. No one comes out at night, well nobody except me this once." She hadn't realized what she said until it was out, hanging in the thick air. Something in her gut made her feel that he wasn't a danger to her. Maybe it was an act of providence, maybe she was just plain stupid.

Donatello's eyes widened, making them look abnormally huge in his glasses frames. He wasn't expecting that last bit. He knew this had gone pretty well considering the situation- minus the fact he was threatened with a baseball bat- but he didn't expect a stranger to be so kind to him. "Uh, yeah that'd be great." Then he raised his hand in an awkward half goodbye and jumped from the railing.

Gale waved back in return, with a small "Bye", but too late to be seen or heard by him.

She laid awake on her sheets for a good part of the rest of the night, thankful she had nowhere to be the next day. A fire escape on a hot humid night was an unlikely place to make a friend, but nonetheless she had made one, maybe. Many unanswered questions flew through her head, but one thing was for sure, this was going to be an interesting summer.

**I hope someone liked this! Please review! I may or may not be editing this first chapter at a later date. I will be adding more chapters, but I'm not sure when. Please stay tuned! Your support is much appreciated. For real though. I found out that I got exactly 1 like on tumblr for this and I started rocking back and forth from excitement. I have no followers. Sad.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Just a friendly reminder to not be afraid to leave reviews for this story. Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!**

Donatello jumped from building to building, trying to get back to his brothers' designated meeting spot before they would start to worry and search for him. Because of the lack of crime in the past months Leo had suggested that they split up as to cover more ground. Raphael was the most enthusiastic about this recent change.

"You heard from Don at all Raph? He should be here by now." Leo looked at his phone checking to see if he had any missed messages from Don explaining why he wasn't the first one there. He wiped away sweat from above his eye ridge. The sooner Don got back the sooner they could go to the lair and get out of this blasted heat.

"Maybe Raph's Batman complex has rubbed off on Don!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "What if he's found another lair and kept it a secret from us so he can move all his gadgets there! That's why he's not punctual tonight!"

Raph snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's a big word for you dingus." He shoved Michelangelo on the shoulder, making his younger brother step back a few feet.

"What is, Batman? I use that word frequently, thank you very much!" Michelangelo defiantly stepped up to Raphael so there was only a few inches between them.

"No, not Batman, punct- oh never mind!"

Leo sighed, looking on at his brothers. "It's highly unlikely that he would leave, but if he did, I can understand why."

Suddenly Don leaped onto the roof, panting. He leaned over trying to catch his breath before speaking. "Sorry I'm late… got tired, decided to rest, "He straightened up. "I must've fallen asleep." Donatello hated lying. He had been terrible at it his entire life. _Good thing Sensei isn't here. He'd see through me like glass. _He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. Luckily the others would just attribute this to the heat, not nervousness.

"Bruh! I almost died of heatstroke!" Michelangelo feigned fainting while walking over to Don.

Raphael rolled his eyes again and crossed his arms, trying to hide the fact that he too, was suffering from the heat.

Leo spoke up for the first time since Don had arrived, "Let's get going, Father will be worried if we do not return soon. Don't be late without some sort of explanation again, Don. You could've at least texted one of us." It was Leo's job to watch out for his brothers. He was well aware of the fact that he sounded like a mini Splinter nine times out of ten, but it couldn't be helped.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I will next time." Donatello rubbed the back of his neck looking down. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of using his phone.

Michelangelo got his cue to lighten the mood. "Smoke signals are always a good option!" He was quickly slugged in the arm by Raphael.

"Wouldja just shut your ever loving mouth for once! Between you and the heat I ain't sure which is worse!" Raphael growled.

"Sarcasm man! It was only sarcasm!" Michelangelo whined rubbing his bicep.

"Move out!" Leonardo said sternly taking away the chance for Mikey and Raph to continue to bicker.

The turtles jumped over the edge of the rooftop into the night. Clouds drifted over the moon changing the appearance of New York's backstreets and alleyways. They reached ground level panting and sweating and slid open their "front door" manhole entrance. Splinter had long since retired to bed when they finally made it to the lair.

"I CALL THE SHOWER!" Mikey yelled while Raphael rushed to the kitchen and guzzled down a gallon of water. Leonardo started to gather up his shower items, an unspoken statement that he was next in line for the bathroom. Don stood in the middle of the living room and sighed. He was exhausted. Raph walked past him down to his own room where he retired without so much as using the shower. Gross. Faint warbled singing drifted out of the bathroom, Mikey's pathetic try at music. Don looked over and saw Leo sit down against the wall outside the coveted bathroom. Donatello decided that he would spend the next hour or so waiting in his lab, getting some work done. He prompted his tired legs to walk in the direction of his room.

"See anything unusual while you were out, Donnie?" Leonardo asked quizzically.

Donatello froze. Did Leo know he was lying earlier? Or was he just being casual? 'Mini Splinter is at it again' as Raph would say.

Don turned to Leo, looking him straight in the eyes. "N-no. Nothing really out of place. There was a small car burglary going on in the residential area, but I put a stop to it." He was grateful his voice didn't stutter any more than it did on a regular basis, and glad that he had something to _not _lie about.

"Were you seen?" Leonardo was looking right at him. Don felt like he could see right through his plastron, as if that was where the lie was hiding.

Donatello swallowed. "No, nothing more than a shadow." He stated.

Relief showed on Leonardo's face. "Alright Don, I was just making sure. I'll hold down the fort while you're in the lab, or keep it from flooding in this case." Leo leaned his head back against the wall before continuing. "I doubt Father will delay training any tomorrow, but I'll see what I can do. Try to get as much sleep as you can."

"Alright, thanks bro, I will." Don smiled slightly, relaxing from the stiff fear that had come over him. "I wouldn't be afraid to pull Mikey out of the shower if necessary."

Don walked into his lab and flipped on the light. He sat down at his desk and began to tinker with the Xbox controller that had busted earlier in the week. Then the full memory of what had transpired not an hour ago and what he had done to cover it up hit him. Don put his head in his hands. Lying was the worst. Especially lying to Leo or Sensei. Out of all his brothers Leo was the closest to him. They had always seemed to have an understanding of one another. Maybe it was because of their maturity or loyalty to Splinter. Don sighed with his head still in his hands. What was he going to do? Well, nothing for the time being. His mind was getting foggy and the crying need for sleep was getting stronger…

"Don! Don! DON! DONATELLO WAKE UP!"

His shoulder was being shaken violently by- Don looked up- Mikey, of course.

"Training in ten, brah! If you hurry there might still be some waffles left from breakfast!" Mikey rushed out the door, wide awake.

Donatello rubbed his eyes, "Kids…" He muttered. Standing up, he starched and made his way out to the kitchen. He felt stale due to the fact he hadn't taken a shower last night. Don grabbed a plate from the shelf and looked down to find that the waffle platter had been raided of all but one of its goods. Oh well. Now there was less of a chance for him to throw it up later after he had trained his butt off.

Once in the dojo torture commenced for all of the turtles, even if some of them refused to admit it. "Ten reps of each! Then repeat!" Master Splinter commanded. The sweat that had dried up on Donatello's body the night before became liquid once again as he performed 100 push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, planks, etc. again and again until training for the day was complete.

Splinter waved his tail dismissively. "You may leave now, my sons."

The four turtles dried themselves off with towels before heading separate ways. A faint gurgling that had been trying to make itself known for the past hour and a half now made itself very clear in Donatello's stomach. His eyes widened with the realization of what was about to happen. As fast as he possibly could, Don ran out of the dojo to the bathroom.

The other three looked up. Raph turned to Leo and asked; "You ever seen 'im that exited to take a shower before?"

"No, but he didn't take one last night, so maybe that explains now."

Donatello rested his head on the cool toilet seat after spilling the contents of his stomach. _Is this what I get for lying?_ He sighed and decided to finally take that shower of his.

**Thank you for the review Elyon! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reviewing my story! You guys have literally made my year! By the way I edited chapter 1. The new "version" kinda changes the tone of the story a little bit, so I suggest you go back and read it. Also, Gale's home is based off a real life apartment I found on google maps. If you want help picturing what I'm talking about look up 232 E 25****th**** St New York on google maps. **

The change in the patrol protocol allowed the turtles to cover far more ground in a shorter span of time than before. For instance, Leonardo would cover the vicinity of Central Park, Raphael would hang around East Harlem down to the Upper East Side, and Donatello preferred the Kips Bay and University area, while Mikey would take Little Italy or any place that had the best Pizzerias. He claimed the "Exquisite smell" helped his mind stay focused. His brothers didn't completely buy it, but let him go anyway, as long as he got his job done.

Patrol had been brutal. The heat had not let up in the least, save for blessed gusts of wind that were far too rare. Splinter refused to let the boys slack off from their duty, "Crime does not stop because of the weather, my sons." He had told them. He was right, although some nights it seemed what he did not know what he was talking about. This only lasted until the next night when it seemed there was no end to what the turtles had to stop.

Donatello had been up and down Gale's neighborhood several times in the past week and, what was it? A week and a half. He had pushed the thought of her out of his head, no one was worth lying to his family about, especially someone he was barely acquaintances with. Her area was usually pretty quiet anyhow, no need to stay there and waste time. Don ran along rooftops looking for any possible disturbances. His running caused the thick air to blow in his face, making being outside a little more bearable. He liked to start at the "bottom" of his patrol and work his way up. He started at the very edge of Little Italy and moved north. A car alarm was going off. _Wonderful_. Donatello snapped out of his thoughts and quickly looked around himself for the source of the piercing noise. He quickly found that it was below him directly to the left in a poorly lit alleyway. Two men in masks were advancing on a woman who was screaming something in Spanish. She must have hit the panic button on her car that wasn't even twenty yards away. Donatello spotted a piece of concrete nearby and dropped it on one of Senorita's pursuers. The masked man fell to the ground in a heap, making his buddy look up bewildered. Senorita looked up too, but only for a moment. She saw her opportunity and took it. The next thing the remaining masked man knew was the hot stinging of pepper spray in his eyes. _Well this is a first, _Thought Don while staring at the spectacle below him. _Never really had help from a human like this before._ Once the crock was lying next to his friend, Senorita looked up. "Thank you friend!" She called in heavily accented English.

Don continued to look down, even more surprised. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled; "Sure thing. Do you want me to call the police for you?"

The woman then whipped out a smartphone. "No thank you, I can call." She practically beamed up at the shaded figure she could barely see.

"Alright… uh, stay safe!" Don yelled down one more time.

_Nearly a decade of years of intense training to be a skilled ninja to drop a brick on one creep's head. Great. Sensei would be so proud._ Donatello backed up to make sure he was completely out of view of the woman he had just helped, and continued his path north. He wiped away the sweat that had traveled down into his eyes and pulled out his bo staff and started "pole vaulting" over the edges of buildings onto the roofs of the next one in his path. This was short lived, however, as he picked up the sounds of a fight. It was too dark to see in this section of the Lower East Side. A few streetlamps flickered pitifully while others gave off no light whatsoever. Chills crept up and down his spine despite the heat. This was one of the times he wished he had his brothers with him to back him up. He pulled down his night vision goggles and looked around. There, just across the narrow street he saw people in a slightly dilapidated building. The distance between his current building and the next was too great to jump. He'd have to get to the ground before getting to whatever was going on, an option he was not to fond of. Putting himself out in the open made him feel vulnerable, not a good thing to be when potentially going into a fight. Donatello jumped to a fire escape, then jumped to the ground, keeping low. He edged forward so as not to alert anyone to his presence. Two scantily dressed women were having a smoke under one of the flickering streetlamps a bit of a distance off, far enough away they probably wouldn't notice much of his movement, if any. Don crept up to the street getting ready to cross. He looked up, yup, there was definitely a fight going on in the second story of what looked like an abandoned apartment building. A car roared by, causing him to jump back in a fright. He had been so absorbed in observing his target he had forgotten to pay attention to oncoming traffic. Don quickly recovered from his shock and sprinted across the street. Once across he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He paused while pulling his bo off his back, but only for a second. He crept over to a side door, opened it, and stepped inside. The dark foyer reeked of marijuana and other unidentifiable unpleasant smells. Donatello gripped his bo and moved up the stairs cautiously. The door had been left open a crack allowing him to look inside. A circle of shouting men and teenage boys stood around three other boys who were ganged up on one boy. The three in the center repeatedly struck the victim. The circle of onlookers kicked at him whenever they got the chance. _Probably some sort of gang initiation. Sick._ There was a solitary lightbulb hanging over the ring of men. Don stepped back and looked for something to use as a projectile. There was garbage everywhere, surely he would be able to find something. There- an unopened can of beer. _Perfect._ He picked it up and stepped back over to the door. Don pushed the door open, praying the movement would not give him away. Quickly he hurled the beer can at the light, getting a loud crash and a few aggravated and confused shouts in return.

"What the-"

"Who done it? Dale?! Where are you?!"

Donatello pulled his night vision goggles down and ran into the fray. He immediately took a couple men out with his bo staff. And struck down a few more by hitting them over the head. The confusion could not stay in his favor, though. The conscious members of the gang regrouped (a generous word for it really) and started to fight against Donatello. He spun around trying to find higher ground to fight from. He jumped up and grabbed the lightbulb cable, he swung and kicked out, connecting with some of his adversaries stomachs with a satisfying thud. Some punks managed to pull him down and started furiously punching whatever they could reach. One ham of a hand pounded into his nose, making Don see stars. Now he was ticked. He had had enough of this. He lashed out with his bo, spinning it around him blocking potential hits and throwing some of his own. Finally the last of the gangsters was knocked out. Donatello breathed out of his mouth evenly trying to calm down. He tied the men up, turtle style, then checked for any tattoos marking them as Foot property. It was sort of a nervous precaution he had taken up after the incident with the Shredder a few months ago. Nothing. Don stood and called the police, anonymously tipping them to the drug house before leaving via window.

He pulled himself up to the next window ledge until he reached the roof of the crack house. From there he resumed his path going north. Blood flowed constantly from his throbbing nose. Don was obliged to press his nose shut as best he could. He _should _stop and tilt his head back, but that would mean staying out longer in this infernal heat, not something he was interested in doing. Donatello climbed up the side of an apartment building and realized exactly where he was. This was East 25th Street. Gale's street. Don looked down the row of apartment buildings and saw faint light coming from where he thought her room was located. He _couldn't _go back there. There was no way he was going to lie to his brothers again for some _girl_. But she hadn't screamed at him. She looked him dead in the eyes and held a conversation like he was any other normal human being- for the most part. He walked slowly while pulling out his phone.

"_Going to be out late tonight. Tell Dad not to worry." _

There, he texted Leo. Raph stayed out late all the time doing who knows what, nobody asked any questions. Ever.

"_Alright."_

Putting his phone away, he picked up his pace while walking above where Gale's window was. Making sure he was at the right apartment, Donatello carefully jumped down onto her fire escape landing. He tentatively tapped on the window pane, standing just where she couldn't see him and he couldn't see inside. He didn't want to invade on her privacy just in case she was indecent, it was her room after all. A moment passed before the window was pushed up and she peeked out a little. She had her trusty baseball bat clutched to her chest, just in case.

"I thought I'd never see you again," She said moving more of within view of him. "Oh my gosh! What did you do to your nose?!" She forgot all her fears of Don when she saw he had been injured, either from curiosity or compassion, or a mix of the two.

In all honesty Donatello had forgotten about his nose. He could have at least cleaned his face up before showing up on her "door step". Bashfully he tried to wipe the partly dried blood off his face.

"I got into a fight, in a sense." He said, his three fingered hand covering his nose and mouth area.

Gale narrowed her eyes quizzically at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked

Don sighed. "Remember how I told you I was a vigilante?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm really a ninja- but still a vigilante. My brothers and I travel around the suburbs at night and stop stuff the police can't get to or don't know about whenever we can. It doesn't always go too smoothly." Don explained. He mentally kicked himself for spilling more information to her.

Gale quirked an eyebrow and thought about this. Was she talking to a super hero of some sort? "I can see that." She glanced at his injured nose. "I thought people like you only existed in comic books."

"Oh, uh, no, guess not." Don had no idea what to say at this. Mikey would be totally flattered by this statement, but Don in all his vast vocabulary glory had nothing to say. His nose began to bleed again. Panicked, Don began to wipe his nose with his forearm.

She noticed immediately. Poor thing, he didn't have anything to mop up the blood. "You stay there, I'll go find something for you to clean that up. With that she shut the window and turned walking out of her room.

Don took this as an opportunity to tilt his head back while pinching the mostly flat bridge of his nose. The wind rustled the leaves of a nearby tree, and a car crept down the street below. Presently Gale returned and pushed the window up. She handed him cotton balls, peroxide and a damp rag.

Unbelievable. Kindness from this complete stranger, again. Don looked up at her while scrubbing blood away from under his nose. She had turned away momentarily to grab a trashcan for him, hair falling all over the place. She was athletic in build and her skin was pale. Turning back around she asked: "Do your brothers keep watch over the city too? Or is it your own personal calling?" Her tone was slightly sarcastic, but in a teasing way.

Don took threw his trash in the bin she held out to him, picking up on the change in her demeanor. "No we all patrol the streets. There's four of us so we split up to cover more ground."

Gale tucked a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen astray. "Oh, that makes sense."

There was a silence while Donatello wiped the blood from his arms. Heat lightning flashed in the distance. They both looked up to the skyline from where the faint burst of light came.

"Rain's coming." Stated Don.

A heavy sigh escaped Gale. "Good. Then maybe it'll cool down so everyone will be able to function properly. I haven't been swimming all summer."

Don stopped cleaning his arm. "I've never been swimming, well publicly at least. We have a hot tub down in the sewer, but I haven't been able to do much else but sit in it for a few years."

"Wait… you live in the sewer? You don't smell like a sewer." Gale stared up at him, her face somewhere between utter amazement and shock.

Donatello didn't know much about girls, but from what he did know, they traditionally weren't too into sewer systems. April had gotten used to it pretty quick, but for her there was the added bonus of being with Raphael. He shouldn't be telling her where he lived, he shouldn't be leaning against her fire escape rail having a conversation with her, and he shouldn't be seen. Period. But he didn't want to leave, either. The logical part of his brain was raging, but the small part of him that had always wanted a friend from the outside world quieted his usually dominant trait. "It's a long abandoned subway branch. We've made some adjustments to it over the years to make it more livable, it's actually quite nice, considering where it is."

A small smile showed itself on Gale's face. "I live in a middle class apartment located right smack in the middle of the city that never sleeps, as you can see. I'm sure it's not as cool as living under it, though. How did you get running water and electricity down there?" She asked.

Don chuckled and shrugged. "When you have brothers things are easier to get done."

"Yeah but how did you know what wires to connect and where does the water come from, I doubt you called an electrician." She was genuinely stumped. He said last time he wasn't supposed to be seen, what did that mean? Was he afraid to go out in public because of his appearance? Probably, she knew what happened to people that looked completely strange.

Lightning flashed again, this time thunder boomed along with it. The wind picked up blowing Don's purple mask tails over his face. He pulled them back trying to keep them from obstructing his view. "There were already some functioning water pipes down there. The subway construction stopped before it was complete, so I had to wire up the electricity." He said it like it was no big deal.

"Seriously? Did you make all your…" Gale motioned at Don's gear, not knowing what to call the vast array of tech strapped to his person. "… your gadgets too?"

Don shrugged again. "Yes."

Gale was, needless to say, impressed. Her mouth fell open. "How are you so calm about it? That's amazing! You have a hologram thingie attached to your wrist! Scientists or are just now developing things like that! You could make loads of cash selling that!"

Don blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks." He wasn't used to getting praise for his work. His family members were used to his genius, and therefore weren't as impressed as they once had been. April was too occupied with Raph to notice much of Don when she came to visit. "I made it out of stuff we found in dumps and on the streets, now I buy parts off the internet if the need arises. When you live in a sewer with three brothers, two of which refuse to use common courtesy around your stuff, you either get a hobby or be driven insane."

Gale was starting to feel more comfortable around Don. She was very intuitive when it came to those whom she was interacting with, and Don didn't give her any real reason to be afraid of him. Well, minus his physical size and vast knowledge of everything, it seemed. Everything about him seemed like it had some sort of an interesting back story, she wanted to know more about him and the abnormal life he lead. She held up her finger before walking out of his view. She reappeared and held out her hand which held an old iPhone. "I know what it's like to have a destructive brother." She made a face. "This used to be his, until he busted it. I wouldn't let him get rid of it, because, I mean, it still has to be good for _something_. It's been in a drawer for a few years, and I have no real need for it, so it's yours now."

He took it from her and flipped it over, examining it closely. "I like the way you think." He said. He looked at it some more then exclaimed: "Are you serious? Generation 1! I've been wanting to get my hands on one of these babies for years now! Thank you!"

Gale laughed at how Don's voice got higher the more excited he became. She turned away and looked at her clock, it was getting late. Thunder that had been rumbling for a while seemed closer, and more threatening. Donatello looked up. The storm was almost above the city now. His mask tails blew in his face again. Gale leaned out her window and craned her neck so she could see the sky.

"Oh wow…" She breathed. Chanel 6 sure hadn't predicted _this_.

Don looked back down at Gale who was still staring up at the sky in wonderment, lightning reflected off her wayfarer glasses. "I should probably go now." Don raised his voice above the wind.

Gale tore her eyes away from the storm clouds. "Okay!" She shouted. The tree groaned and the branches rustled violently in the wind.

Don pocketed his gift. "Thanks for the phone and the medical attention, I'll see ya around!" He raised his hand in a wave.

Before he had the chance to jump from the platform the clouds unleashed the rain with no warning. One minute the ground was dry, the next it was soaked. Don looked back one last time before leaping down.

"Bye!" Gale yelled as lightning split the sky. She hurried and pulled the window down, then she slide down the wall underneath the windowsill. She felt bad for Don having to be outside in this weather. Sighing, she stood up and decided that she should get a towel to dry off with.

Leo was sitting on the couch reading when Donatello returned to the lair. _What's he doing up, it's 1:30._ Don walked past the pizza box couch leaving wet foot prints behind him.

Leo spoke; "You know you can tell me when something is wrong."

Don stopped in his tracks. His joints froze up. He doubted he would be able to move even if he had wanted to. "Nothing is wrong, Leo." And it was true. He was actually really happy even though he had been out in the worst thunderstorm NYC had seen for a while.

Leonardo turned to him and rested his arm on the back of the couch. "You _hate_ the heat, what were you doing out there?'

_Oh no a direct question._ Don's shoulders slumped. He couldn't keep doing this to Leo. "I met someone…"

The oldest brother sat up more and his eyes widened. "You what?" He hissed. "Where? Is that why you were late a week ago?"

"Yes… I… I understand if you're mad with me, just please don't tell Dad yet. Or Mikey and Raph." He pushed his glasses up on top of his head and rubbed his face, accidentally bumping his sore nose.

Leo stared still in shock. "Why did you lie about it? Tell me where you were."

Donatello dragged his hand down his face. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I didn't want you to freak out. I was patrolling over in the Lower East Side a few streets north of the University. I got done early so I stopped to rest on a fire escape. I was tired Leo. It was a complete accident."

"Maybe if you'd sleep at night you wouldn't have that problem." Leo stated frankly. "We aren't supposed to be seen. We are not a part of their world. Have you forgotten all of Sensei's words?"

Don stood up straighter. "What about April? _She's_ fine with us. She even has a thing for Raph, everyone can see that. Maybe Dad was wrong. Maybe whole population of this planet wouldn't treat us like the freaks we are."

Leo studied his brother. Donatello was responsible, someone he could always count on. When had he lost his sense of judgement? Leo only wanted to protect his family, not keep them locked up. After all it was Father's rule, not his. He had to follow orders, it was who he was. "Have you so soon forgotten what happened in the spring? There are still people out there who want us dead! You can't put us in jeopardy, Don."

Donatello put his hands out in front of him, frustrated. "I didn't! She won't tell anyone about us, she has no reason to."

"It's a _girl_? What- never mind, it doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that you could've put us in danger. If anything now, you've put your little friend in danger. The Foot are still out there, you know this." Leo sighed. It was his turn to put his hand over his face. "Just be careful Don. I'm too tired to argue about this now."

"I've always been careful, except this once. We all slipped up when we met April, remember? Look where that's got us." He threw his arms out to his sides. "Our grump of a brother is a lot happier now!" Don turned and started walking toward the kitchen, then stopped and turned around quickly. "Oh- and _please_ _do not _tell Dad. I'm not ready to explain that to him yet."

A muffled "Okay" was heard from the direction of Leonardo's room. Happy he had gotten away without a punishment, Don continued on his way to the kitchen where he got himself a strong cup of coffee. From there he went to his lab area. _She didn't treat me like I was a freak._ He took off all his gear and sat down in in his desk chair in front of his computer monitors, where he worked for several hours before sleep overcame him.

**This is really really long, so thanks for reading. It's 12 pages in word. I can't even make my school essays this long. Heaven help me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey fam! I just wanted to let you know that no way will my story ever get inappropriate. This is not one of **_**those **_**stories. The relationship between Rafael and April will always remain clean. That is not to say they will be courting 17****th**** century style, either… Enjoy!**

"Raph I think the ancient romans had better hygiene than you"

"Yeah well Rome collapsed so what of it"

"Dude my nasal cavities are gonna collapse if you don't shower soon"

Leonardo walked into the family room where his three brothers were. Raphael laid stretched out on the couch, his expression making it clear that he didn't give a rip about what his brothers thought concerning his stench. The flat screen TV was turned on to a Nascar race. Donnie stood in front of the TV with his arms crossed, obstructing Raph's view. Michelangelo sat in his favorite beanbag chair looking up a Raph with a totally grossed out look on his face.

"April just called, she's coming over." Leo held up his cell phone as proof.

A panicked look spread across Raph's face and his eyes got wide. He stood up and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. The remaining three looked at each other and laughed.

Between chortles Michelangelo gasped out: "And he… said he (more laughter) didn't shower for… nobody!"

"Poor April, she doesn't know what she's getting into." A bent over Leonardo replied.

Don smiled. When April come over it gave the family a sense of normalcy and that all was right with the world. He appreciated these times, but there was also a downside to them. Walking over to the storage closet he retrieved the vacuum and started on the living room floor. Women liked cleanliness, and April was no exception. So when her arrival was expected it was the family's job to make the lair as presentable as possible. Even Mikey got into it. For Don, there was an element of sadness whenever April showed up. He had genuinely hoped she would fall for him instead of Raph. But alas, bulk won over brains. To cope with the pain, Don usually tried to stay away from her. Not to any extent that he would be rude or noticed, but enough so that he wouldn't fall for her again. She _was_ the first girl he had ever met, it was only natural that he would feel something towards her. Leonardo, out of all his brothers seemed to be the only one who remained unaffected by April's girlish charm. He was always courteous around her, but not to the extent that led Don to believe that he had ever had any feelings for her. Mikey, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his feelings. He openly flirted with her any chance he got. April usually laughed it off good naturedly, while Raph glared at him.

Don continued to vacuum while listening to his music up until April's arrival. He wouldn't've noticed if it hadn't been for and exuberant Mikey tripping over his cord in an effort to greet his favorite person. Leo walked up to her and took the pizza boxes to the kitchen. Master Splinter greeted April with a hug. Last of all, a fresh Rafael walked in and planted a kiss right on his beloved's mouth. "_Somebody's not shy tonight,"_ Thought Don as he quietly put away the sweeper. He pulled his headphones down around his neck and walked to the central dining area where Leo had already set out plates. Mikey dished out the pizza and Master Splinter poured tea all around. After seating his girlfriend, Raph sat down himself, and supper began. Don ate his pizza while deep in thought. The others talked and laughed in the background, but what they said didn't quite reach his ears. He snapped back to reality when April abruptly addressed him. "What have you been doing lately Don? We haven't heard from you all night." She turned her pretty green eyes to him expectantly. Everyone else had stopped talking and were also looking his way.

Don chocked on his pizza. "Wh-at? Oh, nothing much I guess…" He looked down at his food, then remembered that lack of eye contact conveyed nervousness, and looked back up into her eyes. They were so pretty, what if she looked at him like that all the time rather than Raph? Why had she fallen in love with Raph instead of himself? He was much more understanding and caring than his brawnier brother, undoubtedly he was more-

"Don? Are you still with us?" April was talking to him again. Raph snorted at his brother's inability to stay in a conversation for longer than half a second.

His thoughts snapped back to the present. "What? Sorry." He sheepishly pushed his glasses back up and put his hands on the table.

"I said that I don't buy the fact that you haven't been doing anything lately." April patiently reiterated her question for the second time.

"Oh," He swallowed. " Well the other day I finally figured out how to get the AC to use less energy by-" Just then Mikey busted into the room with a stack of bowls in one hand and a huge tub of ice cream and a scope in the other.

"Who needs an AC when we have ice cream?!" Mickey triumphantly dropped the tub in the center of the table like a proud mother on Thanksgiving who baked the prize turkey. April apologetically looked at Don. There was no way now for anyone to get a word in edgewise. Mikey loudly rambled on while dishing out the ice cream. Soon the others joined in with his excitement and the noise level got increasingly louder. When everyone's bowls were empty, they migrated from the dining area to the family room and put on a movie. Don stayed behind to clear away the dishes. After all, doing the dishes gave him an excuse to stay by himself, alone with his thoughts. When that task was done, he wandered out to the mostly dark family room. He was welcomed by the soft blueish light of the TV screen, and a movie that he was not particularly a fan of. Master Splinter had apparently already retired to bed, Don noticed, as his favorite chair was empty. April was curled up next to Raph on the sofa, almost asleep. For a moment Don allowed himself to imagine what it would be like if he were in Raph's position himself. _Must be nice to be loved by someone outside the family. _He shook his head to clear the thought. Even though it wasn't dirty, he still felt guilty. He observed his remaining two brothers. Mikey was sprawled out on the pizza box couch while Leo was sitting upright in the lazy boy finishing off a can of pop. He rubbed his face. Maybe he should follow Splinter's example and go to bed himself. He _was_ tired. Don didn't want to be alone just yet, however. He certainly did not want to be in the presence of April either, no offence to her. It was hard… loving someone he knew would never return his feelings. He had no one to confide in, no one to share in his interests. Sure the others asked about his hobbies every once in a while, but their interest was somewhat superficial. He _could _leave and go to Gale's house. She might listen. He checked his phone, it was only a little after nine. It was decided then, if he left now he could get there within the hour, no problem. He'd just have to get it past Leo.

Don cleared his throat. "I'm going out for a while. I won't be too late." His anticipation rose as he waited for Leo's response.

Leo barely moved his eyes from the screen. "Alright, be safe."

With his brother's approval, Don geared up and left the lair. He didn't wear as much as he usually did since he really wasn't patrolling. He made it to Gale's apartment in what seemed like record time, probably due to the fact the air had cooled off since the last rain. Above the skyline the flashing lights of planes came and went. Reminding him of the freedom that the rest of New York was accustomed to. Don sighed, then leapt down to Gale's fire escape, this time making no noise. Standing out of sight he tapped on her window pane. The tree rustled nearby and the world seemed to slow down.

**Kinda a cliff hanger, I know. Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this! I feel like my ideas have simmered long enough to be truly developed at this point. It's been 11 months since I posted this! CrAzY! I changed the main female character's name to Gale, sorry for the confusion it may cause. Please leave feedback! 3**


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